Private Tour: Vatican with Early Entrance

I will refrain from listing our guide’s name here, but she was highly disappointing. This was a private tour with just my family of four. She made little effort to customize the tour to our interests. In fact, she didn’t even ask our names or where we were from for almost an hour. She was very proud of her 20+ year career as a guide and spend an unusually great amount of time telling us about tour logistics and her relationships with the authorities there at the Vatican. Her style was not a good fit with our family and she didn’t try to match our style at all. She was giving a master class in a art history while we were just trying to understand the basics about how the Vatican is it’s own country. As you can imagine, our teens tuned out after a short time. The other big disappointment had nothing to do with our guide. The description of this tour offers early access ahead of the crowds. This should have been clear that early access simply means you are entering when it opens, not earlier than the standard opening. We met at 7:30am. The Vatican opens at 8:30am. The early access got us in with the earliest guests, but it was just at the standard opening time. When I questioned our guide about this, she had to read the description I showed her to even understand what I was talking about. Then she asked to read the whole thing so she could make sure she delivered whatever it said. She contracts with these tour companies and has no idea what’s being sold to her guests. Overall very frustrating and we were eager to have it end. We met her at 7:30am, entered the museum at 8:30am and she departed at 10:15. Poor value for our money and I would choose a different company and vetted guide next time.

Organized an efficient. Guide was knowledgeable and spoke excellent English. Noise inside Sistine Chapel surprised me but wasn't surprising given the guards were loudly chatting while standing next to a sign that said "Silence." On an up note, we had the added bonus of catching a Priest and opportunity for confession just before making our exit. I would likely not book this for two people again given the cost.

Lucrezia was our guide. Thorough, flexible, professional, with a massive amount of knowledge. Saw the Sistine Chapel with very few people and really enjoyed that. Great tour start to finish,

Our guide, Valentina, met us at the entrance of the Vatican Museum. She knew just how to navigate the museum and basilica to make sure we got to see all the important works. Even though it was crowded, we were in all the right places at the right times. Valentina’s knowledge was impressive, having been an art history major in college. The Vatican is home to so many famous works of art, we feel we were able to see as much as is possible in a 3½ hour tour.

We had an excellent tour - our guide was incredibly enthusiastic and knowledgeable. I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to see the Vatican. Skipping the line was a very big plus.

I highly recommend organising a private tour of the Vatican, whether it's your first time or your fourteenth. One tip is to clarify your meeting point ahead of schedule. Most tours meet across the road from the Vatican at the small coffee shop but on this occasion we met directly in front of the ticket office. (which wasn't really clear on the email and necessitated a bit of running around). In any event, all good as we had the lovely Lucretia as our guide. You get an early entry into the Vatican as soon as it opens so no queuing is required, which is wonderful as by 9.00am the queues are down the block. We were able to view the various corridors and artworks at our leisure and at a pace that suited us. The main bonus was visiting the Sistine Chapel with barely anyone else in there. The ONLY time I have ever heard it so quiet....St Peter's is always packed but a private guide again gives you the chance to see what you want when you want for as long as you want. I absolutely recommend seeing the Vatican this way.

Great tour with super guide. Very helpful to have someone show you around and explain everything and point out the highlights. Saves so much time.

Great tour, this place is so much bigger than you expect though so please give yourself extra time to check out more of the museum!

Our guide was Gabrielle. What an interesting young man. He never referred to any noted, he was quite a historian. He talked about the different artists, their talents and abilities, and even the rivalries between them. He snaked us through huge group tours so we could stand at the best vantage point to see a tapestry, a painting, or a ceiling. We actually skipped several exhibits, he explained their significance, and then we moved on to something else. His enthusiasm was contagious, we couldn't wait to see where he was taking us next. The private tour is more expensive and worth every penny! With Gabe and his easy banter and story telling ability, I got a better understanding of ancient Rome and how the Pope(s) affected it.

Our tour guide was incredibly knowledgeable and told us stories about historical times and events throughout the whole tour which was awesome. We did have to wait a little to get in but we were one of the first groups to get in once they opened the doors. It would be impossible to see and learn everything there and our tour guide made sure we got the essentials and she was very detailed. Would definitely recommend!